Social Media Club No Longer Welcomed at MyRagan
May 22, 2007
Since I have received a few emails from some members already, let me just say I am disappointed that Mark Ragan has decided to take this action. I have setup Social Media Club groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning and many other social networking sites, so that members who use those services can come together to further the goals of the club. Mark invited me to create a group on his “myspace” clone a few weeks ago, and even invited me to promote our Workshop through it.
Since becoming the largest group on MyRagan, Mark has apparently changed his mind, because the group (and my profile) was represented by the Social Media Club logo. His post to the group (which he deleted after my response to this message) read:
We are recreating the Social Media Club tomorrow and re-naming it to read simply: Social Media Tools and Strategies.
The current logo for the club is giving the impression that we are somehow selling this space to an advertiser. We are not. These groups are designed as non-commercial places where free discussion can flow without fear of being pitched.
Your moderator will be Ragan editor Bill Sweetland.
Because we are changing the name of the club, you will all have to join it again. But, as you know, this only takes a few seconds. Look forward to seeing you back here soon.
Mark Ragan
CEO
MyRagan.com
There is more to say about this of course, but for now, just wanted to let you know that if you want to talk more about this, please join the main Social Media Club mailing list or of course, comment here. I wish I could still have the message I sent in reply to him, but since it was deleted before the conversation could even begin, it is lost. I am sure I was not overly polite in it, but I was definitely speaking to the truth of the situation. This is apparently not a MySpace clone at all - it now just seems like a social network established for the purpose of selling Ragan rather than serving the interests of the community as he originally told me.
Truth is though, it is his site and his rules so he can do what he wants with it and there is nothing to do about it except leave. We will simply take our conversation elsewhere and I will move on so we don’t waste anymore energy on such things…
Where is Social Media Club?
January 11, 2007
Howard has been working on a Powerpoint pitch to tell people the story of the club, explaining why we think you should join us in making more of a formal community for Social Media practitioners and seeking financial support for our efforts in the form of paid memberships. He will post the complete ‘deck’ online after he has a chance to talk with our good friends up in Boston tonight at the SMC gathering there, but this slide really struck me.
In addition to the 13 cities that already have had events and are starting to convene regularly, we are in talks with people in Australia, Germany, Amsterdam, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Toronto, Montreal and numerous other cities around the states and around the world. Of course, it feels a bit like we are racing in the 24 hours of Daytona and building the car while we drive it, but that will change soon as more paid memberships translate into some full time staff, more basic infrastructure and the online tools we really need to create the world’s leading knowledge market for Social Media. (there is that phrase again, knowledge market - hmmmm, what does that mean)
So if you want to start a chapter in your local community, please do contact us and let us know you exist, share your thoughts on what you would like from us and we can work together towards making it happen for everyone’s benefit. You can leave a comment here or reach us through the contact page on this site.
To all of our friend’s out there, and especially the members who have given us their financial support, thank you for bearing with us through this stage of our growth. We are very blessed and thankful to be entrusted to this role in the community and are working hard to make SMC the sort of community organization in which you will be proud to claim membership. Every day I wake up excited about the potential we have to do great things together and inspired by the kind words of encouragement we continue to read about in blogs and in our inboxes!
Sphere: Related ContentSmall sacrifices, big rewards
October 29, 2006
A couple of days ago I received an email from a lad in Boston asking about the gathering next Thursday, and whether or not there was room ‘to squeeze him in‘.
Thinking back to past events, I know there is always a handful of folks who sign up, but end up not attending. Nothing you can do about it really, it is simply the nature of a free event. So I told him the law of averages is on his side, and to plan on joining us. At which time he said ‘thank you’ as he was giving up Death Cab for Cutie tickets to come, so he was happy there was room. Now that is big. That shows a level of commitment to deeper learning. Wow. I won’t name names, I will simply say ‘thank you’ right back to him for wanting to share his night with us, in lieu of the band. Oh, but if those tickets are still available…no,no. Just kidding. I would much rather be in a hotel room discussing New Media than to be hanging out with Ben and the boys. Really.
So, I now find us with 94 people registered. How we got another 11 after closing down registrations I don’t know. Oh wait - I do know…I have a hard time saying no. But we really need to cap it. I am sorry, but if we don’t, I am going to be on the fire marshall’s naughty list.
I promise your Boston organizers will host another event quickly. We just need a venue (speaking of, can someone out there help with that?). If so, shoot an email to kristie@brainjams.org. And remember there is always Friday, November 3rd as Chris and several others in town hit a pub or two in support of ‘Blogs and Beers‘. So if you can’t make it Thursday night, come play with us on Friday.
Sphere: Related ContentThe other Web 2.0 gathering (for $3,000 less)
October 17, 2006
I was speaking with Ben Wan last week at the Stirr mixer briefly when he asked if I was going to the Web Guild’s 2006 Conference, focused on the ‘New Web’ aka Web 2.0. Given that we have eight events in the next couple of weeks, I really did not think I could get away for another conference despite the fact that I watched the Web Guild grow with much interest from Miami back in the early days. That was before I read the bio of Ram Shriram and realized that Marissa Mayer of Google was the other keynote. And that is just the morning lineup. After that Om Malik, Jared Spool, Kelly Goto and a few of the smartest folks in the business were also speaking. So despite my dislike of panels (or pain’ls as I occasionally reference them), I am heading down the Peninsula to get my fill of some gooey-good Web 2.0 Insights.
Brian Sollis sent me info on a discount code (every bit helps) that will give you admittance for the member price of $198 instead of $239 - use the code WGDY6. According to the organizers, “The conference is identical to O’Reilly Web 2.0 with most of the same speakers except the price is $239 instead of $3200.”
Its not as inexpensive as Web 2point2 at $32.95, but pretty darn good considering the prices some conferences are demanding these days. Maybe we can coax a few of the traditional conference goers to come along and experience an unconference for themselves…
Building Social Media Club with a Healthy Dose of Adhocnium
October 16, 2006
Things are busier than ever - just since September 2006 my real email volume has more than doubled and my work load has almost trippled. I just saw my first ball drop in trying to help out a worthy organization called Well Good with an introduction to my friends at Joyent. I would like to think it is the first and the last ball to drop, but experience shows me that there will be a few more - at least until we get to the point that the BrainJams and Social Media Club organizations have a full time team keeping the balls in the air instead of myself and Kristie with the support and love of several great people.
So part of the problem is that we are in the midst of building a community without the financial resources to really support it and without the pure grass roots DNA (aka Adhocnium) that would push it forward to get all the work done. Ultimately, I know we will figure out the right balance between the light structure/minimum order required for ensuring quality and the ad-hoc DIY energy that lifts up the most powerful communities. I may be completely wrong on this point, but time will tell for sure as this model train has left the station - we can only hope there is enough track out there for us to reach our destination. We will of course adjust (indeed we already have done so) but from where I am sitting now, it is just all very overwhelming. My worry gland has been kicking into over drive this past week, but I have faith and know that everything will work out the way it should - it always has in my life and I am truly thankful for having others around me, and around the world who really believe in this vision too.
I think one of the biggest issues we face with our ‘hybrid’ model is that the people who are used to structure and order (and to a lesser degree control) look for more leadership from the top (ie, they expect us to do it all) and the people who are in the trenches with Adhocnium in their veins simply abhor any centralized leadership. I think this is because they have been soloists for so long and/or had bad experience working in big corporate structures. Well, I have been a soloist for about 10 years now (excluding the brief stint with the Treasury Department), so I understand that perspective, but see a brighter future that can come by embracing a chaordic model instead of a completely chaotic one. You must remember, it is referenced as “small pieces loosely JOINED“, not “small pieces floating in the cosmic soup”.
The real key is finding the sweet spot where chaos and order (not control) overlap - that intersection is what I have been seeking, but it does not seem that I have done that great of a job in explaining it yet. In looking at the current Web site/Blog, it is readily apparent that the “cobblers son needs a new pair of shoes” - we need to tell our story better and I will be working on that with a Blog redesign. Still, I am hoping that people like you can help to tell our story, and indeed contribute to writing it in the process. The vision of Social Media Club is not yet fully defined - it is merely a framework with a lot of ideas and the passion of a few key individuals supporting it. Ultimately, as Howard Rheingold says and I often quote, “What it is –> is up to you”. You are reading this and at this very moment you are one of the co-creators of Social Media Club - just by reading this post. Hopefully you will find a way to step up and take some actions that will move you from being a co-creator to being a co-founder. We need your help to make it real - so “help me, help you”.
Social Media Club is not supposed to be about me or any of the other people driving it forward, though we will of course leave our imprint on it - I truly want it to be about US, about those of us who really ‘get it’ - about a shared vision for making a better tomorrow through conversations and social media. Whether you are a technologist, an artist, a professional, a non profit or an employee of the largest of corporations, this is our chance to make it right.
As I have said since the beginning, Social Media Club will be the antithesis of most clubs, it will be inclusive instead of exclusive, ultimately deriving revenue from memberships, partner programs, events like our Social Media Workshop and other services still to be imagined. All the while giving back to the community by being a voice for reason, by hosting non-partisan discussions and by organizing community programs that benefit everyone - like the Web 2point2 Unconference.
Over the next month we have around 8 events we are hosting (including one I will announce tonight here in San Francisco for next Wednesday October 25 from 6-8pm) and I am speaking at 2 others. We sure could use some help picking up the slack - particularly with Web 2point2 which is what is worrying me most at the moment. It looks like a lot of people will be there and the buzz is picking up (over 80 people via Upcoming and about 20 paid registrations), but we really need more sponsors to cover the costs and really need Blog post submissions for main talk topics (tag it web22talk) and of course many volunteers to help coordinate before, during and after the event. If you have any time you might be able to contribute, please let myself or Kristie Wells know by commenting below or filling out the contact form.
So this was a little personal rant, with some insights and a request for help. What do you think? Are you ready to be a co-founder of Social Media Club?
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